This next review is one I’ve been wanting to do for a sometime. It’s not a classic rock band but they could easily be considered a modern classic metal band or at the very least an up and coming band. The band I’m referring to is Mastodon. Now they are one that I’ve been curious about because I’ve only heard a few songs and have only seen them once when they opened for Slayer. So here goes……
Remission- I remember when the video for the song March of the Fire Ants was on Uranium and I thought that the song was so badass. Then listening to the whole album you realize that this is a band where they bring something new to the table. This album is a great mixture of rock, metal, and progressive rock. The riffs on this are absolutely crushing and this is one of those debut albums that is a must listen. I give this 9/10
Standouts: March of the Fire Ants, Crusher Destroyer, Workhorse
Leviathan- so this is the first album I actually purchased from them and I must say having a concept album based on Moby Dick is an interesting choice. As for the album itself all I gotta say is that why the hell wasn’t this around when I had to read the book? I mean I would’ve definitely paid a lot more attention. This is a badass album and it’s almost like listening to the story especially if you read along with the lyrics to the songs pertaining to the story plus the guitar work on the opening song is just so crunchy and badass. I give this 10/10
Standouts: Blood and Thunder, Megalodon, Island
Blood Mountain- this one is based on someone climbing a mountain, getting lost, hallucinating,and being hunted. This is also notable for using more clean vocals as opposed to having a majority of harsh vocals. Musically, the band are tighter than ever on this one and Josh Homme even guest vocals on the song Colony of Birchmen. We also have Scott Kelly guest vocals on the song Crystal Skull. This is definitely another fantastic album and I give it 10/10
Standouts: The Wolf is Loose, Colony Of Birchmen, Hunters of the Sky
Crack the Skye- I guess the concept for this one is about Tsarist Russia and the downfall of that period. As far as the sound of the record goes, it almost feels like it almost has a King Crimson vibe to it. To me this one seems just slightly slowed down from Blood Mountain but there is a good amount of harsh vocals from Brent Hinds and clean vocals from Troy Sanders. Again the riffs and guitar work are just so good and the band just sound fantastic. Of course Scott Kelly from Neurosis makes another appearance here this time on the title track. The question now is that is it better than Blood Mountain? It isn’t but they are so close at least for my personal taste. I give it 9.5/10
Standouts: Divinations, The Ghost of Karelia, Quintessence
The Hunter- I’ll admit that I had only heard of this album but never really listened to or gave it much thought until now. I’m starting to think if they are capable of writing a bad record because this one is actually really good. This album is also a non concept album. The feel on this record I would say is maybe more stripped down. I don’t know I feel like this one is a slower as far as Mastodon album are concerned. I did find that some of the songs were a little draggy but overall as a whole, this is a fantastic album. I give it 8.5/10
Standouts: All the Heavy Lifting, Spectrelight, Curl of the Burl
Once More ‘Round the Sun- I feel like that this is a continuation of the last album. Like you could listen to both albums back to back. I actually found myself enjoying this one more than the previous effort. Even though this is not a concept album, the songs just seem to flow and continue off one another. I give this 9/10
Standouts: The Motherload, High Road, Ember City
Emperor of Sand- ok and we’re back to the concept records. This one is about a dessert wanderer who’s been handed a death sentence. I feel like there are elements from their entire catalogue that are mixed in here which makes for a great record. There does seem to also be more clean vocals and less harsh vocals on this one as well. And of course Scott Kelly does another guest appearance on the song Scorpion Breath. I will say that musically, this one feels like it’s a little scattered but overall, not a bad album. I give it 9/10
Standouts: Sultan’s Curse, Show Yourself, Scorpion Breath
When it comes to Mastodon albums, I find that they are special in their own way which is going to make ranking these albums that much harder. As I stated earlier, I don’t think it’s possible for them to make a bad album. I mean they do such a good job of encompassing different genres and putting them all into one. At times they can be prog, Metal, stoner, and even straight up rock. Anyway, if you do get the chance to see them live I’d definitely recommend doing so.
Album Rankings:
- Blood Mountain
- Leviathan
- Crack the Skye
- Remission
- Once More ‘Round the Sun
- Emperor of Sand
- The Hunter
Sinister Reviews 